


the notion that something is missing

by pazbels



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Bad Ending, MASSIVE P5R SPOILERS, Multi, anyway i'll add relevant triggers as i update the fic, didn't wanna spam chara tags so i just tagged the most relevant charas, i really hate writing buildup btw sorry if this starts off boring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:21:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22407121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pazbels/pseuds/pazbels
Summary: Goro Akechi has a happy life, with a close knit group of friends, but he has a feeling that something is missing.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	the notion that something is missing

**Author's Note:**

> if you missed it in the tags, THERE ARE HUGE P5R SPOILERS IN THIS FIC!
> 
> that being said, this is based on the bad end you get if you do not meet the deadline for maruki's palace. i was curious about what would happen to the other phantom thieves, and well, here we are.
> 
> also there's styled texting in here so i recommend not hiding creator style !

“Goro? You okay?”

Goro blinks as Ryuji’s voice pulls him back to reality. He had zoned out, at some point, he thinks — and now all of his friends are staring at him, wearing concerned expressions. He smiles apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah— sorry, sorry, I just… spaced out for a moment. What were we talking about again?”

“Summer, man!” Ryuji exclaims, arms spread wide as if their vacation will be the most important event in history. “How could you space out during something like that?”

“Come on, Ryuji, who _wouldn’t_ space out with you rambling like that?” Ann places her chin on her hand, an annoyed look on her face. “Even I couldn’t follow what you were saying! And you told _me_ the plan first!”

“What?! I wasn’t rambling! Right, guys?!” Grimaces all around the table, followed by a long, sort of _betrayed whine_ from Ryuji, causing everyone to erupt into laughter, including Goro. He loves moments like these, goofing off with his friends; he’s often busy with his studies, but he’s finally done with work for the school year. In a few days, he’ll be graduating — not long after Haru and Makoto, whose graduation is tomorrow.

“Summer plans aside... the two of you are graduating tomorrow, yes?” Goro turns to Haru and Makoto, who nod, excitement practically coming off them in waves.

“Mm-hm! It’s almost hard to believe!” Haru clasps her hands together, beaming. “This year went by very quickly… and I made friends with all of you this year, so it was easily the best year I’ve ever had!”

“I feel the same.” Makoto smiles, and she looks almost as though she might start getting emotional _already._ “We’ve all been friends for less than a year, but I can't imagine life any other way.”

Everyone murmurs in agreement, overlapping voices fondly stating their favorite memories together. Goro mostly just listens; he’s the newest addition to their group, after all, his only link to them being Kasumi until very recently. He thinks back to when she first introduced him to the group, practically dragging him into Leblanc despite him not protesting in the slightest. He felt a bit awkward at first, admittedly, but everyone was so _welcoming._ Especially—

His train of thought comes to a halt. _Especially…?_ Who was he thinking of? Actually, now that he thinks about it, is Kasumi the only one he knew from the group? No… there was no one else, was there? 

He almost brushes it off. Almost, that is, until Yusuke’s voice sets off a silent alarm in his head: “Now that I think about it… I do not recall how I first met with all of you.”

Silence. A wave of unease passes over the group for a moment. _Something is wrong here,_ Goro thinks, and he’s just about to say something — when Ryuji speaks up. “Don’t you remember, man? The art gallery! Ann dragged me over yellin’ about some kid our age having some paintings in a museum, and then ya started going on and on about a painting together! I thought you guys were about to start effin’ _kissing_ or something.”

“Ryuji!” Ann yelps, face flushed, lightly smacking him upside the head. All worry vanishes then, the group laughing again… but this time, without Goro. For some reason, he can’t quite shake the feeling that something’s amiss. He tries to think, _was there someone else with us before?_ It’s always been the nine of them, hasn’t it? He looks around the table and counts: himself, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru Kasumi, A—

...That’s it. He had begun to think of another name, but it’s just the nine of them. _Who…?_

His head hurts. He pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, and Kasumi, seated beside him, puts a hand on his shoulder. “Akechi-senpai, is something wrong?”

All eyes are on him again now, and something about it makes his stomach turn. _Don’t look at me,_ he almost wants to say, but — but those are his friends. Aren’t they? His head _hurts._ “Sorry, I… I’m not feeling well all of a sudden. I have a bit of a headache.”

“Maybe it’s all that stress catching up to you after your finals!” Futaba chimes in, crossing her arms across her chest. “I know you’re like some walking supercomputer or whatever, but don’t go and short circuit on us till _after_ you graduate!” This earns her an elbow to the side from Yusuke. “Ow! Alright! Don’t short circuit at _all,_ okay?”

“You should go get some rest, Goro,” Morgana says, everyone quickly agreeing.

Goro forces a smile. He’s sure they all mean well, but really, he just wants to be away from them right now. That’s a bit _harsh,_ probably, but the worries he’s having about his memories with them… he wants to think about them alone. “Thank you. I’ll be heading home now then, goodbye everyone.”

As his friends wave goodbye, Goro shoves his hands into his pockets and makes his way to the subway station, letting his mind wander. It’s clear that he’s forgetting something, and judging by everyone’s initial reaction to Yusuke’s remark, it seems he’s not the only one. Something is missing — no, some _one,_ judging by the gaps his brain desperately tries to fill. 

Once he reaches the station and boards the train, he takes out his phone, making a new note. _Who am I forgetting?_ He begins to think about what he knows so far. He had another mutual friend with the group besides Kasumi, someone who was his link to them before actually becoming their friend. And he remembered the beginning of a name. He begins to type, then looks over what he’s put down so far.

_\- Someone is missing from the group._  
_\- Mutual friend of the group, like Kasumi. I believe I knew them before the others._  
_\- “あ” is at the start of either their given or family name._  
_\- What memories include them? Are some of my memories falsified? And the others’, too?_

He puts his phone to sleep, leans back in his chair and _sighs,_ closing his eyes for a moment. It’s not much, but it’s a start. His head is still _killing him_ — he’ll rest, just until he’s home. Then, he hopes to do some more digging.

* * *

“I’m home,” Goro calls out, taking his coat and shoes off after stepping in the front door. His head is hurting a bit less now, either that or he just got used to the pain… but he can’t get the strange feeling he had out of his mind. He runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath; he needs to collect himself before he can start investigating this.

For some reason, he feels like playing detective.

“Welcome home!” A voice calls out from the kitchen, pulling Goro out of his thoughts. He smiles, and he walks in to see his mother standing at the counter, cooking what he assumes to be dinner. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon! I thought you were with your friends?”

“I started feeling a bit lightheaded, so I thought it was best to head home,” he admits, and puts his hands up defensively once his mother turns with a concerned look on her face, clearly about to fret over his health. “I’m fine, I’m fine! Just… tired after my finals, I think. Everyone said I should take it easy.”

“Well, they’re right. Head to your room and rest for a bit, okay? I’ll let you know when dinner is ready. And no working! That’s an order from your mother, you hear me?” She waves her spatula as if it makes her seem more authoritative, and Goro can’t help laughing. “Hey, I’m serious! Go, go, take a nap or something!”

“You don’t have to worry, I’m done studying for now after all…” Still, she shoos him away, and he raises his hands in surrender as he makes his way to his room.

* * *

Goro practically falls into his bed. He’s not tired, exactly — at least not physically — but he finds that he doesn’t realize how draining it is to spend time with a large group of people until he’s back in the solitude of his room. His phone buzzes beside him, and he lazily grabs for it and holds it up over his face. A string of messages from the group chat he shares with his friends appears on the screen.

Ryuji  
yo goro!! u feeling any better dude?  
Ann  
ryuji if he has a headache u shouldnt be making him look at a screen  
Ryuji  
oh shit  
ignore that  


Goro shakes his head, taking off his gloves and tossing them aside before unlocking his phone.

It’s fine. I’m feeling better, thank you for the concern.  
Ryuji  
ur too formal man (￣ ᗣ￣)  
This is just how I text.  
Futaba  
ive been telling u guys!!! hes a computer!!! a robot!!! ゞ◎Д◎ヾ  
That’s rather harsh.  
Yusuke  
Do you think the same of me, Futaba?  
Futaba  
nah lol ur just like that  
Why am I the exception…?  
Futaba  
no yusukes the exception!!!! u haru and makoto r robots  
Makoto  
I am?  
Haru  
Are we…?  
I see.

He laughs, rolling over onto his stomach. He thinks about earlier, the uncertainty among the group when their meeting was questioned — now is as good a time as any to bring it up, he supposes.

Ah, off topic, but…  
Do any of you remember me having another mutual friend with you besides Kasumi-chan?  
Ann  
someone else???  
Haru  
I’m not sure…  
Ryuji  
ngl i was abt to say yea but no i dont think so  
idk why i thought there was  
Makoto  
No, I thought the same for a moment, that’s odd…  
Futaba  
whaaaaaat thats weird  
i TOTALLY thought there was someone else too!!!  
but i guess not (;＾◇＾;)ゝ  
Yusuke  
I do not believe there was, though.  
Ryuji  
yea man… i thought abt it but theres def no one else  
Ann  
yeah, are you sure youre not just mixed up, goro?  
Is that so…

Perhaps he should let it go, but he just can’t shake the feeling he has that something is missing. Nonetheless, it seems that _all of them_ are unsure of their memories… they’ll likely just confuse each other if they try to figure it out together. 

...You’re probably right. Sorry about that, everyone.  
My mom is almost done making dinner, I should go.  
Futaba  
byeeee (*￣Ｏ￣)ノ  


He almost puts his phone away, but then he receives another message, one that makes him tense. It’s not from the group chat — it’s Kasumi.

Kasumi  
  
you remember him too?

**Author's Note:**

> SO! some notes about goro's life in the dream reality!  
> \- his mother is alive. shido is still out of the picture because fuck shido, but also because he was never in goro's life in the first place. he doesn't wish to have him in his life, he wishes to be happy with his mother again.  
> \- as mentioned in p5r, none of goro's crimes and such happened in the dream reality. (except of course now he isn't aware this reality is wrong)  
> \- goro was never the detective prince, since that was mostly a cover-up for his crimes. he's still good at investigating though! just hasn't exactly had to put it to use.


End file.
